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Watsonville Hospital, a critical community lifeline, is under increasing financial strain and is actively seeking a major health care partner to help it evolve into a stronger regional hub. As those pressures grow, Lookout’s editorial board sought to better understand how leadership is managing the hospital, but found a level of transparency that falls short of what the public deserves. We see no indication of wrongdoing, but with physician shortages, aging infrastructure and heavy reliance on Medi-Cal funding, the stakes are rising quickly. Saving the hospital will require not only financial investment, but also trust, accountability and greater openness.

The post A Lookout View: Watsonville Community Hospital is too important to fail — but it can’t survive without transparency appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Una Lookout View es la opinión de nuestra sección de opinión Community Voices, escrita por la editora de Community Voices, Jody K. Biehl, y el fundador de Lookout, Ken Doctor. Nuestro objetivo es conectar los puntos que vemos en las noticias y ofrecer una visión más amplia — todo con la intención de ver al condado de Santa Cruz enfrentar los desafíos del día y arrojar luz sobre los temas que creemos deben estar en la agenda pública. Estas opiniones son distintas e independientes del trabajo de nuestra sala de redacción y de su cobertura informativa.

El Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville no es solo otra institución en dificultades: es un salvavidas. Y hoy, ese salvavidas se está desgastando de maneras que deberían alarmar a cada residente, legislador y actor del sistema de salud en el condado de Santa Cruz. 

El hospital reportó 137 millones de dólares en ingresos en 2025, aproximadamente 23 millones por debajo de las proyecciones y por debajo de lo que el liderazgo dice que se necesita para mantener operaciones estables. Ahora busca activamente un socio estratégico y está tratando de concretar un acuerdo con un actor importante del sector salud como Sutter Health, el candidato más probable, u otras grandes organizaciones como Kaiser Permanente, UC San Francisco o Stanford. 

Este hecho subraya una realidad simple: en el entorno actual, uno de nuestros dos hospitales locales no puede estabilizarse ni modernizarse por sí solo.

En este contexto, la transparencia importa ahora tanto como el financiamiento. Este hospital es demasiado grande para fracasar y demasiado dependiente del apoyo público para ser opaco. 

Por eso nuestro consejo editorial se sintió decepcionado cuando, durante una reunión, el director ejecutivo del hospital, Steve Gray, rechazó nuestras solicitudes de materiales de auditoría, informes de acreditación y hallazgos de supervisión. Esa falta de divulgación es preocupante, no porque pruebe un problema, sino porque limita la capacidad del público para entender una de las instituciones más importantes de la región en un momento de verdadera vulnerabilidad.

Cuando una institución esencial para el público y respaldada por contribuyentes enfrenta presión existencial, la comunidad merece una visibilidad clara de su salud financiera, su estado regulatorio y su toma de decisiones, no solo garantías de que todo se está manejando bien.

Los riesgos son altos. Debido a que es uno de solo dos hospitales que sirven al condado de Santa Cruz, cualquier interrupción en Watsonville tendría efectos en cadena tanto en el norte como en el sur del condado, alargando aún más los tiempos de respuesta de emergencia, ajustando una capacidad ya limitada y reduciendo el acceso a atención crítica. Un sistema ya frágil sería empujado más cerca del límite.

Estas presiones no son aisladas. Sabemos que los hospitales rurales y aquellos que atienden a poblaciones de bajos ingresos en todo el país sufren por los recortes federales a los reembolsos de Medicaid/Medi-Cal. Para el Hospital de Watsonville, donde aproximadamente el 85% de los pacientes dependen de Medi-Cal, los recortes se traducen en 10 millones de dólares menos al año. Como Gray nos señaló, las tasas de reembolso pueden caer a centavos por dólar para la atención de Medi-Cal.

Los recortes federales no son el único problema en el Hospital de Watsonville. Los desafíos internos —agravados por décadas de negligencia bajo propiedad privada—, incluidos el mantenimiento diferido y la infraestructura envejecida, han aumentado la presión financiera, al igual que las jubilaciones, ahora generacionales, de numerosos médicos. El hospital, nos dijo Gray, actualmente no cuenta con médicos en obstetricia, neurología ni urología. Los pacientes que necesitan esos servicios deben acudir a otros lugares.

Estas carencias —junto con la infraestructura envejecida— significan que el hospital actualmente opera muy por debajo de su capacidad, con aproximadamente 29 de 106 camas ocupadas en promedio. Cuando lo escuchamos por primera vez, fue una cifra impactante, pero la explicación de Gray —y su base en la escasez de especialistas— es comprensible, nuevamente cuando se comparte de manera clara y directa con el público. Toda esa capacidad no utilizada es una ineficiencia que contrasta marcadamente con la saturación del departamento de emergencias en el Hospital Dominican, donde los pacientes reportan dormir en los pasillos porque no pueden conseguir una habitación. 

Esta historia se desarrolla en hospitales rurales de todo el país. 

Y sin embargo, para nosotros, esta no es simplemente una historia de declive. También es una historia de posibilidad. Con la inversión y la asociación adecuadas, creemos que el Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville podría convertirse en un centro regional moderno de servicio completo, capaz de atender a un valle agrícola de rápido crecimiento, de mayoría latina, que durante mucho tiempo ha funcionado como un relegado en el sistema de salud frente al norte del condado. Si se hace bien, podría ayudar a reescribir patrones regionales de atención obsoletos y anclar un sistema de salud más equitativo para el sur del condado.

Ese futuro, sin embargo, depende tanto de la confianza como del capital.

Muchos líderes comunitarios con los que hemos hablado valoran positivamente a Gray y su liderazgo durante un periodo difícil, y nosotros lo hemos encontrado accesible y comprometido. Ese apoyo es real y vale la pena reconocerlo. Pero la confianza en el liderazgo no puede reemplazar la transparencia en la gobernanza.

La historia reciente del hospital ayuda a explicar por qué la urgencia y la cautela coexisten. 

En 2022, el Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville salió de la bancarrota y volvió a la propiedad pública bajo el Distrito de Atención Médica del Valle de Pájaro mediante una combinación extraordinaria de intervención estatal, incluidos los esfuerzos destacados del senador estatal John Laird, organización local, apoyo filantrópico y financiamiento aprobado por los votantes. 

Fue un rescate poco común, pero nacido de la crisis tras años de inestabilidad, estructuras de gestión cambiantes e incertidumbre sobre el control. 

Esa historia hace que el momento actual sea aún más decisivo. El Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville sigue siendo indispensable, pero opera bajo presión financiera sostenida, brechas estructurales en la fuerza laboral y desigualdades sistémicas no resueltas en el financiamiento de la atención médica.

Los líderes locales, estatales y federales deben abordar esas desigualdades y presionar a posibles socios para que den un paso al frente. Y el liderazgo del hospital debe responder al público con una apertura acorde a la magnitud de su responsabilidad.

Porque si este hospital fracasa, las consecuencias no serán abstractas. Se medirán en atención retrasada, acceso reducido y vidas en riesgo.

El Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville es demasiado importante para fracasar. La única pregunta es si la región actuará con la urgencia —y la transparencia— que esa realidad exige.

Esta traducción fue generada utilizando inteligencia artificial y ha sido revisada por un hablante nativo de español; si bien nos esforzamos por lograr precisión, pueden ocurrir algunos errores de traducción. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.

The post Una Lookout View: El Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville es demasiado importante para fracasar — pero no puede sobrevivir sin transparencia appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

The City of Santa Cruz will host “Touch-A-Truck” on May 20 from noon to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Day’s Market in Seabright. 

Attendees can climb aboard the heavy machinery, ask questions and learn how all the work gets done.

Touch-A-Truck is part of National Public Works Week, a nationwide recognition of the professionals who support roads, water systems, storm drains, parks and other infrastructure. 

Attendees can also see operators in action during the fourth annual Equipment Road-e-o, a live skills competition that demonstrates the expertise and coordination required to operate heavy equipment safely and efficiently.

Both events, at 526 Seabright Ave. near the corner of Murray Street, are free and open to the public. Registration is not required, and walk-ups are welcome. 

See more information here. 

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

Political persecution, threats of violence and the seizure of sensitive documents might sound like a plot line for a heist or thriller movie. 

For California election officials tasked with enabling participatory democracy, these are now everyday realities — from Riverside County, where Sheriff Chad Bianco seized more than 650,000 ballots from his own county’s registrar of voters, to Shasta County, where threats of violence forced the longtime registrar to retire early.

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The integrity of the state’s voting systems will be under intense scrutiny this year with control of the U.S. House on the line, as Californians could play a decisive role in which party wins the majority. Yet while timely and decisive results are more crucial than ever, California is famous for its ploddingly slow vote count. 

That lengthy wait has increasingly sown distrust in the accuracy of California’s results, especially among Republicans, and particularly in races where a candidate leading on election day falls behind as more ballots are processed in subsequent days. 

“Every day matters,” said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. “Election security is about security in reality and also security in perception, and they’re both equally important.”

During a panel Thursday on election integrity, presented by CalMatters and the University of California Student and Policy Center, Alexander argued that election administrators are boxing themselves into a “false choice” if they sacrifice timeliness in the name of accuracy. When winners aren’t decided for days, sometimes weeks, the ensuing uncertainty leaves room for doubt to take root, speculation to grow and misinformation to spread. 

It took eight days in 2024 for The Associated Press to be able to declare Republicans had won control of the U.S. House, partly because of outstanding votes in California races, Alexander said. Two years earlier, it took nine days. In 2020, it took the AP seven days to determine that Democrats would retain the House, she said. Each time, outcomes in California swing districts played a decisive role.

“We’re creating a window of opportunity for people to make these claims,” Alexander said, referring to largely unfounded claims of systemic voter fraud and election rigging. “We have to acknowledge that.”

Fellow panelists defended California’s meticulousness as crucial to its election integrity. Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, Democratic chair of the Assembly elections committee and former Santa Cruz County registrar of voters, argued that county officials need time to verify voters’ signatures on vote-by-mail envelopes “so people don’t get disenfranchised for penmanship or for failure to sign.”

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin speaks with supporters in August 2023. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

“There’s nothing in law that says, ‘I need to meet your deadline,'” Pellerin said of media outlets and journalists who are eager to call races on election night. “What the law says is that I need to count the votes accurately, securely. I need to check them, and double-check them, and audit them, and then I certify them.”

Matt Barreto, director of the UCLA Voting Rights Center, noted that counties have 30 days post-election to certify their results and submit them to the secretary of state. That process, he said, should be completed as quickly as possible but “not at the expense of the county registrars doing their job effectively to make sure every vote is counted.” 

Catharine Baker, head of the UC Center, emphasized — pointedly to Pellerin — that counties need more money to make sure they’re sufficiently staffed and have the equipment they need to count efficiently. 

They all agreed that voters can do one thing to speed up the count: turn in their mail ballots early so counties can process them before election day.

Large partisan divide over election integrity

California voters are highly polarized in their views on the status of democracy in their state and country, largely along party lines.

A new survey from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found a third of Democrats said they are “extremely satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the way democracy works in California, while only 4% of Republicans said they felt that way. Conversely, more than two-thirds of Republicans are not satisfied at all, compared to 10% of Democrats. 

Those results are practically unchanged from voters’ responses in 2024, despite several major political events, including a presidential election that President Donald Trump won, a new presidential administration and a special election in California in which voters adopted more partisan gerrymandered congressional districts. 

“It speaks to the fact that in a lot of ways our democracy is stuck,” said Eric Schickler, a UC Berkeley political science professor and co-director of the institute. “Republicans have one perspective on what’s wrong — they make claims of voter fraud and slow ballot counts,” he said, “and Democrats have another, which is concerns about voter suppression.”

The poll also highlighted the partisan divide over a proposed ballot initiative from Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio of San Diego that would require Californians to show photo identification to vote. When asked whether they would support the measure, but without any context about who was for and against it, 56% of survey respondents said they strongly or moderately supported it, while 39% were strongly or moderately opposed. 

But those shifted the more information voters were given. When told that DeMaio was the main proponent of preventing fraud and that Democrats argue the measure is part of Trump’s agenda to keep people of color from voting, the support flipped, with only 39% supporting the measure and 52% opposed. 

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post California election officials face false choice: Count votes quickly or count them right appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

A man was taken into custody after a shooting Saturday night near Riverside Drive and Marchant Street.

Just before 7pm, Watsonville Police responded to reports of shots fired at the heavily traveled intersection. They learned the suspect, 49-year-old Sandro Vega, had been seen outside a nearby home in the 100 block of Marchant Street holding a rifle.

Watsonville Police, accompanied by Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies and the California Highway Patrol, surrounded a home on Marchant Street between Riverside Drive and East Front Street as a huge crowd of curious spectators gathered.

After cordoning off the area around the home with yellow crime scene tape, police shut down Riverside Drive, Marchant Street and East Front Street. Using a loudspeaker, police announced repeatedly for the suspect to come out of the home while a drone hovered overhead.

WPD spokeswoman Erika Vazquez said Vega stepped outside the home but stayed in the front yard and refused to follow commands, leading to a standoff with a swarm of armed police and a K9 at the ready. After about 30 minutes, Vega surrendered and was taken into custody. 

Police found this cache of weapons after serving a search warrant on the home on the 100 block of Marchant Street. (contributed, WPD)

After detectives secured a search warrant for the home they found multiple firearms. Vega was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on charges including assault with a firearm, brandishing a firearm, and negligent discharge of a firearm.

During his first few days as county supervisor, Felipe Hernandez said he vividly remembers shoveling and making sandbags for residents to help protect their homes from flooding. 

“I felt like I was in the Army again, shoveling so many sandbags,” Hernandez said. “That was my first day. I had water up to my knees on my first day.” 

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Santa Cruz County was beginning to get hit with a series of storms, leading to flooding throughout the area — including Watsonville — and the evacuation of hundreds of residents. 

“I had to be out there with my constituents that had been flooded, and that’s where I spent the majority of my first year [as supervisor],” Hernandez said of 2023. He told Lookout that a major lesson he learned from responding to that emergency was how to be a strong advocate for his community. 

Now, three years later, Hernandez is seeking to defend his District 4 seat, which represents most of the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville and Interlaken. His opponents in the June 2 primary are political newcomers Elias Gonzales and Tony Nuñez. 

Because there are more than two candidates, the Nov. 3 general election will serve as a run-off between the top two vote-getters, unless one candidate wins a majority of the primary vote. 

Hernandez continues to face scrutiny from his constituents as the county continues to develop an ordinance meant to regulate battery storage plants. Some residents are taking issue with Hernandez’s not-so-clear stance on a battery project being proposed by Massachusetts-based developers New Leaf Energy, and for not attending any of the community-led meetings about the proposal. 

Fourth District Supervisor Felipe Hernandez speaks during a January news conference. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Hernandez told Lookout that had he attended the series of community-organized meetings, he would have been “pushed into making a judgement call” on how he’ll vote on the project. “That’s what they want me there for, not just to listen,” he said. “They want me to make an opinion.” 

Taking a stance on the project before it came before the board of supervisors could exclude him from making a vote, Hernandez said. He wants to ensure that he can take a vote on the 90 Minto Rd. project, if it does end up in the hands of the county, he said. 

It’s unclear if there is a regulation that prohibits local officials from openly taking a stance on a project they could be voting on. In the past, Hernandez has cited the Brown Act as a reason why he could not openly state his stance on the New Leaf project. That piece of legislation – California’s open-meetings law – regulates how government meetings are conducted, however. 

But now that New Leaf has expressed its interest in seeking project approval through the California Energy Commission, Hernandez said he’s “going to be more open” about his thoughts. 

“I’m against the project, especially with [New Leaf] going with the state,” Hernandez said. “It really is a slap in the face after all the work we did with the ordinance.” 

New Leaf previously told Lookout that the company is still exploring whether it will take the state or the county route for approval. Hernandez, on the other hand, said that following a meeting with the state energy commission, the company and county staff in early April, signs are leaning toward the state route. 

District 4 County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez speaking at a board of supervisors meeting. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Hernandez said he’s concerned that few projects have been denied at the state level. He said he’ll push for the state energy commission to include Santa Cruz County in its decision and use the county’s ordinance (which is currently at a standstill) as reference for safety standards. 

Community members organizing against the New Leaf project believe the state process will be more rigorous and will more readily take the public’s concerns into account. 

A spokesperson for the state energy commission previously told Lookout that local input, which also includes local government agencies, is part of the permitting process. 

Another issue Hernandez has tried to face head-on in his district is the ongoing immigration fears during President Donald Trump’s second administration. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have visited Watsonville at least 23 times since January 2025; nine of those visits occurred within the first two months of 2026. 

Hernandez currently co-leads a subcommittee to help prepare for possible impacts of immigration operations on county residents. He said he’s starting to investigate whether the county can invest more money into legal defense, Last year, the county set aside $100,000 to provide legal services for undocumented residents. 

“It’s important to protect those people. They’re human,” he said. “On top of being human, they provide food for our county and the rest of the United States. How can we turn our backs on them, it’d be inhumane to do that.” 

Hernandez said that he wants to develop “more creative ordinances,” but did not elaborate on what kinds he might propose. Last month, the county adopted an ordinance barring immigration officials from using its facilities for enforcement purposes. 

Should Hernandez be elected to a second term, he said he wants to continue investing in roads and more social services in South County. He credits his eight years on the Watsonville City Council for his constituent advocacy. His goal is to bring more projects into the community, he said.

At Lookout’s candidate forum April 15, Hernandez said the county has invested nearly $800 million in the community during his first term as supervisor. Some of those projects included opening a county office on Westridge Drive in Watsonville, starting repairs to the Pajaro River levee and fixing roads, he said. 

The facility on Westridge Drive was purchased by the county in 2021, according to a report by Santa Cruz Local. The effort to secure federal funding for the Pajaro River levee repairs was primarily led by Hernandez’s former colleague on the board, Zach Friend. 

Hernandez also said he wants to bring more parks into unincorporated areas of South County, which aligns with his vision of bringing more investments into the community. 

“District 4 only has two county parks, and it’s been 63 years since they’ve done [repairs] to Mesa Village Park,” he said. 

He also hopes to develop more spaces for young people in his district. He said it’s one of the things that has always been important to him. 

“Young people need things to do in Watsonville,” Hernandez said. “We have the highest concentration in the county, and there aren’t many things for them to do.”

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post District 4 County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez points to track record, experience in office as he makes bid for a second term appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

The proposed monument to women surfers in Pleasure Point is drawing both strong support and familiar resistance. But as a co-creator of Santa Cruz’s iconic “To Honor Surfing” statue, author Brian W. Curtis says he’s seen how meaningful public art can shape community identity. He believes the monument is thoughtfully designed and locally rooted and, since it’s privately funded, he says it won’t cost taxpayers anything. It’s time, he writes, to trust the vision and recognize the women who help define our surf culture.

The post I helped design the male surfer statue – here’s why the female surfer monument deserves to move forward appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Esta traducción fue generada utilizando inteligencia artificial y ha sido revisada por un hablante nativo de español; si bien nos esforzamos por lograr precisión, pueden ocurrir algunos errores de traducción. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.

Durante sus primeros días como supervisor del condado, Felipe Hernández recuerda vívidamente haber estado paleando arena y haciendo sacos para ayudar a los residentes a proteger sus hogares de las inundaciones.

“Sentía como si estuviera de nuevo en el Ejército, paleando tantos sacos de arena,” dijo Hernández. “Ese fue mi primer día. Tenía el agua hasta las rodillas en mi primer día.”

El condado de Santa Cruz comenzaba a ser golpeado por una serie de tormentas, lo que provocó inundaciones en todo el condado —incluido Watsonville— y la evacuación de cientos de residentes.

“Tenía que estar ahí con mis electores que habían sido afectados por las inundaciones, y ahí fue donde pasé la mayor parte de mi primer año [como supervisor]”, dijo Hernández. Comentó a Lookout que una de las principales lecciones que aprendió al responder a esa emergencia fue cómo ser un firme defensor de su comunidad.

Ahora, tres años después, Hernández busca defender su puesto en el Distrito 4, que representa la mayor parte del Valle del Pájaro, Watsonville e Interlaken. Sus oponentes en las primarias del 2 de junio son los recién llegados a la política Elías Gonzales y Tony Núñez.

Debido a que hay más de dos candidatos, las elecciones generales del 3 de noviembre servirán como una segunda vuelta entre los dos candidatos con más votos, a menos que uno obtenga la mayoría en las primarias.

Hernández sigue enfrentando el escrutinio de sus electores mientras el condado continúa desarrollando una ordenanza destinada a regular las plantas de almacenamiento de baterías. Algunos residentes cuestionan la postura poco clara de Hernández sobre un proyecto de baterías propuesto por la empresa New Leaf Energy, con sede en Massachusetts, y por no haber asistido a reuniones comunitarias sobre la propuesta.

Hernández dijo a Lookout que si hubiera asistido a esas reuniones organizadas por la comunidad, habría sido “presionado para tomar una decisión” sobre cómo votaría en el proyecto. “Para eso quieren que esté ahí, no solo para escuchar,” dijo Hernández. “Quieren que dé una opinión.”

Adoptar una postura antes de que el proyecto llegue a la junta de supervisores podría impedirle participar en la votación, explicó Hernández. Quiere asegurarse de poder votar sobre el proyecto de 90 Minto Rd. si llega a manos del condado.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

No está claro si existe una regulación que prohíba a los funcionarios locales expresar abiertamente su postura sobre proyectos en los que podrían votar. En el pasado, Hernández ha citado la Ley Brown como razón para no declarar su posición sobre el proyecto de New Leaf. Sin embargo, esa legislación —la ley de reuniones abiertas de California— regula cómo se llevan a cabo las reuniones gubernamentales.

Ahora que New Leaf ha expresado su interés en buscar la aprobación del proyecto a través de la Comisión de Energía de California, Hernández dijo que será “más abierto” sobre sus opiniones.

“Estoy en contra del proyecto, especialmente con [New Leaf] optando por el estado,” dijo Hernández. “Realmente es una falta de respeto después de todo el trabajo que hicimos con la ordenanza.”

Anteriormente, New Leaf dijo a Lookout que la empresa aún evalúa si buscará la aprobación a nivel estatal o del condado. Hernández, por su parte, indicó que tras una reunión a principios de abril con la comisión estatal, la empresa y personal del condado, todo apunta hacia la vía estatal.

Hernández expresó su preocupación de que pocos proyectos han sido rechazados a nivel estatal. Dijo que impulsará que la comisión estatal incluya al condado en su decisión y utilice la ordenanza del condado (actualmente estancada) como referencia para estándares de seguridad.

Miembros de la comunidad que se oponen al proyecto de New Leaf creen que el proceso estatal será más riguroso y considerará mejor las preocupaciones del público.

Un portavoz de la comisión estatal indicó previamente a Lookout que la participación local forma parte del proceso de permisos, que también incluye a agencias gubernamentales locales.

Otro tema que Hernández ha enfrentado en su distrito es el temor relacionado con la inmigración durante una segunda administración de Trump. Agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) han visitado Watsonville al menos 23 veces desde enero de 2025; nueve de esas visitas ocurrieron en los primeros dos meses de 2026.

Hernández actualmente codirige un subcomité para prepararse ante posibles impactos de operativos migratorios en los residentes del condado. Dijo que está explorando si el condado puede invertir más en defensa legal. El año pasado, el condado destinó $100,000 para servicios legales para residentes indocumentados.

“Es importante proteger a esas personas. Son seres humanos,” dijo Hernández. “Además de ser humanos, proveen alimentos para nuestro condado y el resto de Estados Unidos. ¿Cómo podemos darles la espalda? Sería inhumano hacerlo.”

Hernández dijo que quiere desarrollar “ordenanzas más creativas”, aunque no detalló cuáles propondría. El mes pasado, el condado aprobó una ordenanza que prohíbe a funcionarios de inmigración usar sus instalaciones para fines de control migratorio.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Si es elegido para un segundo mandato, Hernández dijo que quiere continuar invirtiendo en carreteras y más servicios sociales en el sur del condado. Atribuye sus ocho años en el Concejo Municipal de Watsonville a su defensa de los electores. Su objetivo es traer más proyectos a la comunidad, afirmó.

En un foro de candidatos de Lookout la semana pasada, Hernández dijo que el condado ha invertido casi 800 millones de dólares en la comunidad durante su primer mandato como supervisor. Algunos de esos proyectos incluyen la apertura de una oficina del condado en Westridge Drive en Watsonville, el inicio de reparaciones del dique del río Pájaro y la mejora de carreteras.

La instalación del condado en Westridge Drive fue adquirida en 2021, según un informe de Santa Cruz Local. El esfuerzo para asegurar fondos federales para las reparaciones del dique del río Pájaro fue liderado principalmente por el excolega de Hernández en la junta, Zach Friend.

Hernández también dijo que quiere impulsar más parques en áreas no incorporadas del sur del condado, lo que coincide con su visión de aumentar las inversiones en la comunidad.

“El Distrito 4 solo tiene dos parques del condado, y han pasado 63 años desde que se hicieron [reparaciones] en Mesa Village Park,” Hernández dijo.

También espera desarrollar más espacios para jóvenes en su distrito, algo que considera siempre importante.

“Los jóvenes necesitan cosas que hacer en Watsonville,” dijo Hernández. “Tenemos la mayor concentración en el condado, y no hay muchas opciones para ellos.”

The post El supervisor del condado del Distrito 4, Felipe Hernández, destaca su trayectoria y experiencia en el servicio público al buscar un segundo mandato appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

A rogue wave hits from behind on the Santa Cruz coast—turning a casual hike into a brutal lesson. A vivid reminder: the ocean is never as calm as it seems.

The Neptune Apartments on Pacific Avenue could become an eight-story apartment building. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

SANTA CRUZ >> Tenants of the Neptune Apartments in Downtown Santa Cruz could soon be the first residents displaced by the upzoning of the area. The six renters have until July 27 to leave their homes and make way for a new eight-story apartment building approved by the Santa Cruz Planning Commission this month. 

“I’m super anxious because I’m old and my ability to earn more than what I’m making right now does not exist,” said Laurie Dodt, who has lived at the apartments at 407 Pacific Ave. for four years and works as a caregiver for seniors. “I don’t want to be homeless.”

Dodt, who was born in Santa Cruz and has lived here ever since, said she often thinks about the possibility of becoming homeless.

“I could be in a tent and it’s sad. It’s scary and it’s sad,” she said. “I don’t live there — in fear — but that’s the reality.”

Laurie Dodt poses for a portrait near her home at Neptune Apartments. She said she’s four years from qualifying for senior housing and expects to be offered three years of relocation assistance. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

The proposed 102-unit building from San Diego-based developer CRP Affordable Housing & Development will include all below-market-rate units and will satisfy the affordability requirements for a separate developer to build 245 market-rate apartments down the street at 201 Front St.

City rules allow the required below-market-rate units of a project to be built in a separate building. The rules also allow developers to bank any additional units beyond the required number to offset future developments’ affordability requirements.

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“It’s nice that they build affordable housing, but then I find out they can use this building, because it’s [eight] stories, against other buildings which then can now be totally luxury apartments,” said Leonard Ross, who has lived at Neptune Apartments since 2020. “That kind of rubs me the wrong way.”

Ross said he and the other tenants are waiting to see how much relocation assistance they will be offered, and if it will be enough to stay in Santa Cruz, where last year rents were ranked as the most expensive in the U.S. by the Low Income Housing Coalition for the third year in a row. 

Leonard Ross stands in front of his home. ‘It’s an old building, but it has that certain kind of style to it,’ he says of Neptune Apartments. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

Paul Yale, who has lived at Neptune Apartments for more than 20 years, implored the Santa Cruz Planning Commission to not let the project, and the razing of his home, go through.

“By demolishing it, you’d pretty much be kicking me out of town,” Yale said to commissioners at the April 16 meeting. Planning commissioners approved the project unanimously, in what was essentially a formality. State housing law strips local authority to change or deny most housing proposals.

In an interview with Santa Cruz Local, Yale said he’s lived in Santa Cruz since he was a child and doesn’t know if he’ll be able to stay after he loses his home in July.

“I don’t have a credit rating because I’ve been renting for the last 20 years month-to-month,” he said, adding that he pays $1,200 for the two-bedroom apartment. “Rates for finding a new place to live are ridiculously higher than what I’m paying right now.” He said if he ends up in a studio costing $2,000, the rent would be more than half his monthly income.

The developer informed residents last year that the property would be redeveloped, Yale said, and some tenants have since left.

City rules require developers to hire an independent company to facilitate relocation of tenants and Long Beach-based real estate consulting firm Overland, Pacific & Cutler, Inc. was hired for the Neptune tenants. 

In a 180-day notice to vacate dated Jan. 26 and shared with Santa Cruz Local, the company advised residents to wait until a 90-day notice is given before signing a lease or moving out. Otherwise, they may not be eligible for relocation assistance.

Paul Yale says ‘it felt terrible to be right’ when he finally got the notice he was expecting, informing tenants the building would be redeveloped. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

Yale said that makes the situation more stressful, as finding adequate housing in Santa Cruz can be a lengthy and challenging ordeal.

Tenants will be guaranteed a spot in the new housing once it finishes construction, but rents for the below-market-rate apartments could be double, or even higher than what they pay at Neptune. 

The expected displacement of the tenants comes just under a year after the city council approved upzoning the neighborhood. City leaders dubbed the area “SoLa” or “South of Laurel” in the process of rezoning to allow buildings up to 85 feet. 

“I’ve seen the downtown plan, and there was a gray box over where I live,” Yale said, referring to the map of which blocks were to be upzoned.

Though the loss of the Neptune Apartments is a relatively small number of affordable homes compared to the 102 units set to replace them, it will serve as an important case that puts the city’s anti-displacement policies to the test. 

How many of the residents land on their feet, or are forced to leave town in search of affordable rents, remains to be seen.

Anticipated rents in a proposed eight-story, below-market-rent apartment building have not yet been published. (CRP Affordable Housing & Community Development)

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